Small group of pipo wey dey live for Abule Ado, Lagos, Southwest Nigeria, siddon in front of pile of stones wey be dia houses before. Dem dey angry to see journalist and dey no gree talk to BBC Pidgin correspondent. Dia house dey inside plenty houses wey collapse for di 15 March explosion.
Abule Ado be di place wey di explosion happen. According to di National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) for di kontri, at least 15 pipo die and 25 pipo injure for di explosion. Official number no dey for di number of pipo wey loss dia houses but reports tok say hundreds of pipo don become homeless wit millions of properties lost for di blast.
“We don tire to dey talk for una camera. I don speak to more dan five media houses already,” one old woman for di group tok.
“Yesterday, I dey under rain. I no get anywhere to stay,” di woman tok as she comot face. She no want to dey tok about how she wey get house before don come dey houseless.
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Di lockdown wey goment impose to stop di spread of coronavirus dey double hard for victims of di Abule Ado explosion.
Nigeria President Muhammadu Buhari, on Sunday, March 29, order say make pipo siddo for house, for di two states wey get highest number of coronavirus patients, Lagos and Abuja plus Ogun state.
Dis order don make di situation of pipo wey loss dia house for Abule Ado dey even harder.
Peace Dim, one young mother of two pikin wey di explosion affect im house, say she no get hersef again after di explosion comot di roof of her house.
She come start to dey live with friends. Her husband sef dey live for anoda friend domot. For di house wey di husband dey live, dem reach like five married men wey dey live for dia, she tok give BBC Pidgin.
“I dey confuse about how to care for my family. I come dey feel sick sake of say I dey think about how to protect my family. Di lockdown make am dey difficult for us.
“Di owner of di house wey my husband dey stay come ask say make my husband comot. He say e no go fit come dey help pipo put imsef for wahala. E say e go lock im house and no go dey allow make pipo dey visit,” she tok.
After dem throw di husband comot for di house, di family get help for anoda place. One man wey dey travel say dem fit stay for im house but di man house become crowded because oda pipo sef join dey for di house before di lockdown start for Monday, March 30.
“For dis house now, we get three married men wey dia wives sef dey stay somewhere else, two man wey never marry, mysef, my pikin and my friend pigin. Di boy of di man wey get di house sef dey stay here.
“We no dey look for comfort wey we dey sleep for night. We dey sleep were we see space. If you see bed, you sleep, if you no see, you sleep for floor,” di mother tok give BBC.
‘I dey sleep for person couch’
Joseph Ojukwu, one man wey be landlord before-before, get six living apartment, one store and one block wey get six shops wey be im source of income and house. But na stones and pillar wey no hold anytin dey di land wey dis dis structure dey before.
“I dey sleep for my friend couch,” Ojukwu tell BBC Pidgin. Just as im be, many oda pipo wey lose dia house for di disaster sef dey di same uncomfortable condition. Dem dey find am difficult to do social distancing.
Di World Health Organisation (WHO) recommend social distancing and good hygiene as ways to take stop di spread of covid-19 infection rate.
“How person fit practice safe hygiene wen person dey squat with anoda person,” Dim ask.
For di world, fear dey say pipo wey no get house get high chances to catch di virus and to spread am quick, quick. Di house for homeless pipo for some Europe kontris don dey lock. Dis don force pipo into street and put dem for risk to get di virus, according to one Guardian report. For Africa, report dey tok say police dey beat pipo for road.
Separated families
To avoid falling victim of dis police beating, some families for Abule Ado don carry dia families go village or to dey live wit oda extended family members.
For di community, dem dey repair some house – but di renovation no dey equal. Ugo tell BBC say im wife and pikin dey live wit relative while he dey squat wit im friends for di area.
“My family dey danger wia dem dey stay because I no know who dey enter or who dey comot di place. Na di challenge we dey face be dat because we no get house,” Ugo tok.
But, some of dem tok say dem dey try take precautions wey di goment and WHO give.
However, some of the victims of Abule Ado explosion said they try to observe health precautions by the government and WHO.
“Though I dey stay wit pipo, I dey keep di measures so that I no go get infection,” im say.
Dem dey call di goment to epp dem, not just to repair dia house but to also give dem food.
Di Lagos State goment launch N2 million relief funds for di victms of di explosion. Organisation and some pipo don donate money give di victims. Also, to reduce suffering wey fit follow di stay for house palava, di goment say dem go give pipo food but pipo for Abule Ado say dem never see any food.
“We dey hear say dem dey share money and food but we never see anytin for here. Pipo dey on dia own here,” one Olawale Korodo tok.
